Forever and Always
by LenenaxX
Summary: It's been seven years since Chihiro left Haku. Now, Chihiro lives in America and Haku has never once forgotten his promise to her. Can Haku find a way to be with Chihiro? Has Chihiro forgotten about Haku? There's adventure, romance, heart ache, and much more!
1. Chapter 1: Haku

Haku:

'Chihiro, where are you?' It's been years since she left. Everyday I tried to find a way to keep my promise. This was the first time I've ever felt the years passing. How old was she now? Sixteen? Seventeen? I prayed that she didn't forget me. I love her too much...

"Haku! We need your help!" I looked back at the bath house and hesitated to walk towards it. But, somehow, my feet moved. I wasn't Yubaba's apprentice anymore but I still had a job. My chest felt heavy as I looked towards the sea of water. I knew she was out there. My Chihiro was in the human world. If I could only see her face again. If only I could tell her how I feel, how I've always felt...

Our night came slowly. After an exhausting day at work I sat by the flowers by the sea. I watched closely as the water began to disappear and the sun came up. "Good morning, Chihiro." I'd had this conversation in my head too many times.

In my imagination, we would both wake up lying next to each other. She would rub the sleep off her eyes and gaze at me beautifully. I would smile, brush back her hair, the tips of my fingers slowly caressing her face, and say those exact words; '"Good morning, Chihiro." She would smile delicately and say, "Good morning, Haku." And I would kiss her nose lightly and joke around about what's for breakfast. I would hold her hand. I could be anything for her. I wanted to be everything for her!

Twice in my existence I was with Chihiro. Once when I was the Kohaku River spirit and again when she stumbled into our spirit world. I smiled as I remembered her round childish face. But my smile dissipated as I remembered that she was older now and most of the childish features were gone, replaced with the features of a woman. I blushed as I thought of how much her body must have changed as well. I laughed at myself for blushing. A year or two ago I had changed my appearance to that of an eighteen year old, just to match her. My laughter slowed and I became serious again. I could feel the tears pricking at the sides of my eyes.

I stood up and ran straight for the edge of the cliff. As soon as my feet left the cliff, I was a dragon. I flew high into the air. The sun reflected off my scales. My eyes became blurry and I knew I was crying. I roared into the sky. My howl became sobs as I transformed back in mid air. I free fell and cried. I hadn't allowed myself to cry in years. And now, I couldn't stop. All my loneliness and heartache came out. I let the wind flip me around and ten feet from the ground, I was a dragon and flying back up.

I wandered around the sky until, unknowingly, I ended up at the ferry station. I transformed and stood in front of the entrance. I took a step forward and paused. If only it were so simple as too walk across the border. I walked in and sat in a bench facing the tunnel that would lead to my Chihiro. I cried again. I brought my knees to my chest, wrapped my arms around them, and buried my face in my arms. I stayed there all night, and, when the moon came up and spirits were moving all around me, I stayed there. Our night came again. Exhausted from flying and crying I laid on the bench. I prayed that I would find a way to be with Chihiro. And in the middle of my prayers, I fell asleep...


	2. Chapter 2: Chihiro

**Disclaimer; I do not own anything from Spirited Away. ANYWAYS! Thank you guys so much for reading my first chapter! Trust me the story will get so much better! I hope you guys enjoy! R&R! Please! I need feedback :D**

Chihiro:

"Chiiiihiiirrroooo!" I blinked and stared at my best friend, Alice. We were still at a red light on our way home from school. She laughed a quick short laugh and said, "Jeez. You really know how to space out!" I smiled and said I was sorry. "What's with you?" She continued, "Are you feeling okay?" I smiled.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Were you studying?"  
"No, I-" I hesitated. I moved to California four years ago. I met Alice in the eighth grade. We told each other everything. Well, mostly everything. Now, at the end of the eleventh grade, I still hadn't told her about the time I was in the spirit world.

For three years I waited for Haku. When my parents announced we were leaving Japan, I decided to forget about Haku. I believed that there was no way he could find me if I was so far away. And I hadn't thought about Haku since living in California. But last night I dreamed about him.

He looked older. And he was asleep on a bench. There were dried tear streaks on his face. I wanted to reach out and touch him but I couldn't move. His lips moved but I couldn't hear what he said. I tried to ask him what he'd said but my voice had no sound. As I looked at him my heart began to ache. I sank to my knees and memories flooded back to me. I yelled out that I was so sorry for leaving him behind. I yelled that I was sorry for forgetting about him. But he still couldn't hear me. I started to cry. I yelled through my tears desperately trying to wake him. And then suddenly my voice had sound.

I got excited and started yelling more and more. Just as he began to stir I could hear my name being called. At first I thought it was Haku calling me but the voice was a woman's. Water washed over me and I was suddenly at the bottom of a river. I called out for Haku to help me but as I surfaced I woke up.

I gasped and sucked in a huge breath. My mother was next to me, her hands on my shoulders. My father was putting a wet rag on my forehead. Both of them were trying to calm me down. Mom asked if me if I was okay. I nodded and explained it was just a bad dream. My throat was sore. Dad nodded and left to go back to sleep. My mom hugged me and asked if she could sleep with me tonight. I hesitated but agreed. She wrapped her arms around me and I was instantly comforted.

Without noticing, I began to cry in front of Alice. She stayed calm and hugged me. That was one of the best things about Alice. She always waited until I was ready to talk. We walked to my house. My parents weren't home yet so I didn't worry about having to explain to them why I was crying. Alice led me to my room and sat me on my bed. I rested my head on her shoulder and confessed.

I knew it sounded crazy but I didn't care. I needed to get it off my chest. I hugged her and apologized for getting tears all over her shirt. She laughed.

"What kind of best friend would I be if I couldn't let you cry in my shoulder?" Her laugh was contagious and I laughed through my tears without even meaning to. Suddenly, I became serious.

" Do you believe me?" I asked quietly. She was quiet for a moment. She had her 'Deep in Thought' face on. She looked at me and I sat up. My heart raced as I waited for her to speak. She studied my eyes. Her mouth twitched and she smiled and laughed.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't keep a straight face!" I stared at her. "Of course I believe you! I mean, really, why would you lie about something like that? Plus, you believe it. And if you believe it then, by default, so do I." I hugged her as hard as I could and we both laughed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello every one! Thank you for reading this far! Please review! I need feedback. :) and Disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer, I own nothing and profit nothing from Spirited Away! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter! I know things are a little slow but trust me, it's going to start heating up!**

Chapter 3: Haku

Haku

When I woke up, I found out that I had been asleep for two whole weeks. I dreamed that I heard Chihiro's voice. It was so faint that even in my dream I knew it was fake. I walked back to the bath house only to discover that Yubaba had fired me. I didn't care. I walked away and didn't even feel the need to look back. I had all my money with me and went to the train station. The farthest I've ever been was to the seventh stop. That was always as far as I needed to go. But looking at the stop list I realized that there were much more. I need to get as far away as possible. I picked a random number and bought a ticket for the twenty-second stop.

I boarded the crowded train and settled in next to an old looking spirit. She glanced at me occasionally. It was as if she had something to say. By the time we left the sixth stop, there was no one left on the train besides me and the elder spirit. The seventh stop came and I almost lost my nerve.

"Don't worry, love," the old spirit told me. I pretended not to hear her. "There's nothing for you back there." I stared straight in front of me. "Trust me. As a spirit of fortune telling, I can tell you that you're going in the right direction." I finally gave in and looked at her.

"Can you tell me anything else?" She smiled at me and the train started moving again. I was officially in unknown territory. She was quiet for a very long time. It wasn't until the fourteenth stop when she spoke again.

"There are great dangers ahead of you," she said quietly. Great dangers? Was finding a way back to Chihiro going to be dangerous? Every fortune teller I had met before this one had told me that it was impossible. And now this one tells me that it's dangerous but not impossible. A renewed hope flowed throughout me.

My mind surged with new questions. What kind of danger lied ahead? How dangerous was this danger? Would my existence be put in jeopardy? Would Chihiro be in jeopardy as well? I would risk my own existence but not Chihiro's. I could never risk Chihiro. The fortune teller chuckled.

"Don't worry, love, you'll find her."

"I hope so," I replied quietly, not bothering to ask how she knew I was looking for a girl. The fifteenth stop came. "I wonder where we are," I though out loud. "Let's get off here really quick so we can figure out where we are," I suggested. We got off the train and I looked for the closest sign. I immediately knew that we weren't in Japan anymore. I tried to recognize the language but I couldn't. The fortune teller giggled.

"It's English, dear," she told me. English? That meant we were on the other side of the ocean. I looked at the old lady for more information. "That sign says, 'Welcome to Alaska.' We're in the United States." The United States? I heard stories about the United States. It was a land of plenty and wealth, supposedly. I got back on the train.

"If you relax your energy and focus on the land, you'll be able to pick up what ever language is dominant in that land," the fortune teller explained. It was worth a shot. I focused on everything from the grass flying by to the mountains to the snow covering those mountains. And then I felt it; the knowledge of the land started flowing through my veins. When it reached my head it was like being dropped in an ice cold river.

I gasped and tears pricked at my eyes. The land had so many fixed feelings. I remembered that I, too, once had feelings like the land. I hadn't been a river in over fourteen years. And now I missed the feeling of flowing freely over rocks. I missed the feel of fish and people swimming. I missed the feel of providing life. I blinked the tears tears away with a new meaning. I once provided for plants, animals, and people. Now, I would provide for Chihiro. When we got the the twentieth stop I could read the signs. It said, "Welcome to Portland, Oregon." I didn't even have to think twice about reading English. It came naturally. The twenty-first stop read "San Francisco."

"Well, this is my stop, dearie." I stood and bowed to my elder as she left. The train had filled and emptied periodically through out the trip. Now, on our way to the twenty-second stop, the train was packed to capacity. I stood and waited for the next stop to come. "You'll find her there," my elder friend had told me. I prayed that meant that Chihiro was near the twenty-second stop.

The twenty-second stop came and I got off the train. "Los Angeles," the sign read. Most of the spirits exited here. The fortune teller told me Chihiro would be here. I breathed in slowly and stretched my soul to find any presence of her. I couldn't. I didn't feel anything. Instead, I was bombarded with a multitude of spirits, humans, and everything else.

"You look like you don't know what to do." I turned to see a sickly looking spirit. I nodded slowly. He chuckled. "Follow me; I'll set you up for the night." I bowed deeply and thanked him. We walked around a place called "China Town." We ended up at am abandoned Buddhist temple.

"You can stay here for the night." I thanked him again. "Anything for a fellow river spirit," he said calmly.

"What river are you?" I asked him, shocked that he could tell that I was a river spirit.

"I won't be a river for much longer," he said in a small voice. "Soon, I'll be like you." As much as that stung, I nodded in agreement. "I am the Los Angeles River," he finally said. "Goodbye, kid." He walked away and disappeared into the night. I stood there for a moment, contemplating my next move. I looked at the temple. It was our day and the temple was busy. I decided I would stay the night and figure out my next move in the morning. I looked at the sky; there were no stars. The moon was hidden by smog. I sighed. 'I'll find you soon,' I told Chihiro and walked into the temple.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! Thank you for supporting me by reading and reviewing my story! I appreciate it so much! This is the fourth chapter you guys have ****patiently waiting for! Read and Review and Enjoy! Thank you! Disclaimer: I do not own or make profit of anything from Spirited Away!**

Chihiro:

_'Put one foot in front of the other. One more class. You can make one more class. Almost done. On-'_

"Hey Chihiro!" Alice interrupted my self motivation.

"One more class!" I yelled back in a slurred speech. Alice's smile wavered.

"Did you dream about, you know," she checked to see that people were out of hearing range, "him?" I nodded.

"I don't know why," I complained. "Up until recently, I've never been bothered by him. It feels like he's trying to tell me something but I can't figure it out!" We sat down in our seats. The chair was cold. Something about the coldness reminded me of something else. It was like a dream where you can only remember the emotions but none of the events. I shook my head, trying to clear it. I rested my arms on the desk. The coldness struck.._.something_ in my mind, again! It wasn't a memory or even an emotion! It was just a slight tug at my consciousnesses.

"You okay?" Alice's voice sounded distant.

"Mm-hm," I lied and held my head in my hands.

'_Is that her_?' My head snapped up at the voice. It was as clear as bell. I looked at Alice. She was doodling on her notebook. I looked around frantically trying to figure out who'd asked the question. '_She doesn't look to bright_.' My eyes scanned the classroom. No one was talking. The teacher was at the board going through the material. There was nobody who could have spoken!

'_It's her.'_ This voice was new and sent a chill down my spine. The temperature dropped several degrees. It was cold.

"Chihiro," the teacher asked, "are you alright?" I couldn't concentrate on the teacher as the voices continued to whisper. Suddenly a thought occurred to me: check behind. That was the only place I didn't look. One, I sat at the very back! There was nothing there but space to walk! Two, the monster is always cliche-ly behind the victim! I didn't want to be the victim! The whole class was staring at me.

"Chihiro?" Alice called me. I sucked in a breath and turned in my seat. My eyes crashed into a pair of brilliant green eyes. I knew those eyes. Those eyes had helped me twice in my childhood. I stared at his face unaware that tears had begun to fall. I heard Alice's voice ask me what was wrong. The coldness was back. As the temperature dropped He became more real.

The entire world around me evaporated. I could only see him. He reached out for me. Tears began to fall from his eyes as well. I gasped after realizing I'd been holding my breath.

"Haku?" My voice shook horribly. Our hands were centimeters away from each other. He laughed through his tears.

"I kept my promise, Chihiro!" A smile found itself on my face. "I found you again!"

"Haku!" I didn't know what else to say. Our fingers met and the air was suddenly hot. And in just a split second Haku was gone. There was a face instead of his that I didn't recognize. There were lights passing behind this new face.

"She's awake!"

"Get her into the cat scan! We need to figure out what happened!"

"Right!" There was too much noise and light. I was moved onto a bed and strapped in. I tried to get out. Cat scan? Where was I? A needle pierced my arm and the world around me faded a second time.

When I awoke again, I finally realized where I was. The hospital really wasn't my favorite place in the world. My mom was beside the bed and began to cry. The doctor came in and described how I'd passed out in class, how my heart stopped in the ambulance, how I had a seizure when they revived me, and how I'd been a coma for three days.

None of it made any sense. A coma? Ambulance? Heart attack? Three days?! I was only with Haku for a couple of moments. Did Haku have anything to do with this? My head was spinning.

"Don't worry, Chihiro, we'll figure out what caused this." The doctor may have been able to calm my parents but not me. Something bigger than a health issue was going on. Haku had something to do with this. I didn't know what but I was sure as hell going to find out!


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to every one who has kept reading! Thank you to all the new readers! You guys really make my day! Thanks for all the support! Here's the last chapter! Thank you! Thank You! Thank You! I will have another story up after this. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own nor make profit off of anything from Spirited Away. All rights reserved to the respective owners.**

Haku:

"What the hell happened!?" I was absolutely furious. It was the second day and Chihiro still hadn't woken up. I should've never trusted a warlock. He went against all of my beliefs. I was so wrapped up in seeing Chihiro again I never expected she would end up sick.

"Look, I told you there were some risks. You were the one who was all gun-ho on seeing her." _I just told myself that!_ I sighed. I was furious at myself more than Erik. All I wanted was to be with her. Why was that so hard to accomplish!?

"You're trying to be human," he whispered. My fists curled up at my sides. "Face it. You're a dried up river spirit! You can't be with a human! Psht! Who the hell do you think you are, some kind of god that can ignore the rules of life?!"

"SHUT UP!" My fist made contact with Erik's face.

"We all have someone we wanted to be with," Erik said rubbing his face. "The girl I loved just happened to be tree spirit. And you know what happened to her?" I looked away from his face. I didn't want to hear what was coming next. His voice was hard. "She was cut down and made into timber." His voice cracked on the last word. "Her spirit was cut into so many pieces that it was impossible for her to reassemble herself." I gasped realizing that I'd been holding my breath.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm being selfish. But, please, help me find a way to her." I almost hated saying these words after what he just told me. I heard Erik sigh.

"I can't do anything else." His voice had become quiet. "I know a guy that might be able to help you but there are no guarantees."

I asked for the information...

"Heh, I know why you're here." The 'guy' Erik referred to wasn't a guy at all.

"Can you help me?" My voice was calm and collective, just like it was when I used to talk to Yubaba. I hadn't used that voice in a long time. But in this situation it felt appropriate. She smirked.

Her black wavy hair covered half of one eye. Her voice was a womanly deep and seductive. She licked her lips.

"For what you're asking, I'm going to ask for a hefty price." There was an evil glare in her eye. I squared my shoulders.

"What do you want?" She smiled a wicked smile.

"It won't be that expensive, considering it's such an easy task to do." I was confused. "I want twenty thousand gold coins _and_ one human life."

"What?!"

"You heard me. One human life. That's it. Just give me that and you can have your precious Chihiro for the rest of eternity."

I gasped. A human life? Could I sacrifice another human for my Chihiro? The money wasn't a problem. Could I really take away someone else's lover, friend, sister, brother, mom, or dad? Could I destroy someone else's future?

"I'll let you think about it," she said. "Okay, time's up. What say you?" _  
_

I re-squared my shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "You have a deal."

She laughed out loud. "You have two days to bring me my payment!" She laughed again and disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

I broke down and sunk to my knees. _ What have I done? I just promised to kill someone for Chihiro!_ The severity of my action hit me and screamed into the night...

The next day Chihiro woke up. She smiled to her parents and to the doctors. She looked so happy. Who was I to take her away from her family? I searched the city for any one I could possibly take. I didn't find any one. The night of my first day came. Tomorrow was my last day to find some one.

I stumbled into an alley where a girl was being cornered by a guy. He held a knife to her throat. I watched in the shadows as he forced his way upon her and left her for dead in the alley. There was no way she wanted to live after what just happened. I decided then that she would be the one I would sacrifice. I didn't feel any emotion toward her. People would just assume that it was the rapist that killed her.

I took the gold out of my pocket and summoned the woman. She appeared suddenly.

"You sure didn't take long," she purred.

"She's the human life I'm giving you. Here's the money." There was absolutely no emotion in my voice. She laughed.

"My, my. You really want your Chihiro, don't you?" I stared at her. She laughed again. "I accept your payment. Your Chihiro will be with you shortly." And with that the money was gone, the woman was gone, and the girl's last breath was gone. Tears silently fell from my eyes. I prayed for her...

Chihiro:

The news of Alice's rape and death was too much for me to handle. There really was no point in living. The only person who ever believed me was dead? There was just no way. She couldn't be dead! She was my best friend! She wasn't dead!

"Please try to calm down, Chihiro." My mother couldn't possibly know how this felt. I cried out for Haku. I cried. I wanted my Alice back. I needed her back. The doctors sedated me four times in two days. I was throwing tantrums. My head had still been spinning about the incident with Haku. I didn't even get the chance to tell her!

They said she died the night I woke up. I hated myself. She was walking home from seeing me. It was my fault she was dead. Every night my head was filled with images of the spirit world. I needed some one to understand. My heart was completely shattered. There was no healing for it this time.

I was released from the hospital a week after her death. My parents and I were driving home. Rain was falling in heavy sheets. I laughed at how cliche the world seemed to be. That was my last thought before our right tire slipped and our car started to roll...

My head was bleeding. The metal was wrapped around me like foil paper crupmled in your hand. I couldn't hear anything but the rain. It was softer now, like a lullaby. I looked down and noticed my body had been pierced in many places but I felt no pain.

There was a voice calling me. I voice I had once heard everyday. My breathing became easy. Eventually even the sound of the rain was replaced with his voice. The floor of the car was replaced with the image of a ferry station. I had been here before. I boarded the ferry and was jostled around by all the people.

When we reached the other side I was pushed off. The crowd of people began to thin but one person stood in the middle. I recognized him immediately. His smile lit up my entire world. I was running before I knew it. Tears obscured his face but I knew it was him.

He said my name repeatedly. We stood there, hugging, for what seemed like a long time. After a while he told me he was sorry for what he did. And then he told me. For a horrible moment I wanted to leave him but where would I go? In my head I could see Alice's smile. In my head I could hear her laugh. I knew it was evil and selfish of me but I told myself that Alice would be happy for me. It was the only way I could forgive Haku.

The sun came up and the water disappeared.

"Good morning, Chihiro." Haku whispered.

"Good morning, Haku." I whispered back. I rubbed eyes against the incoming sunlight. Haku kissed my nose and suggested breakfast. I nodded and smiled. We held hands as we walked toward the city.

"I'll love you, Chihiro, forever and always."

"I know." I rested my head on his shoulder. "I love you." For forever and always.

**Thank you so much to every one who has read my story! I'm so grateful! I know this one has ended but do not fear! I plan to write more stories! Yay! Thank you! Thank you!**


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